Higher Ground

A relative newcomer to Manchester city centre, Higher Ground was first set up as a pop-up in 2020 and led by a talented international trio - Joseph, Richard and Daniel who met back in 2016 whilst working at New York-based Blue Hill Stone Barns under chef Dan Barber. The threesome also boast the likes of Fera, Relae and Noma on their impressive CVs.

Following the opening of Higher Ground the threesome then went on to open Flawd, a neighbourhood natural wine bar and bottle shop in Ancoats, just north of the city, in 2021. The wine list encourages discovery and curiosity, via a focus on small-scale, low intervention European winemakers. 24 sparkling options (split equally between pet nat, crémant and Grower Champagne), precede 200 or so still wines, including two pages of skin contact and a full page of rosé. Prices are fair given the nature of these wines, but like most top low-intervention wine lists these days, they don’t come cheap. The daily changing menu offers à la carte and a seasonal set sharing option, both available at lunch and dinner. A dining counter reserved for walk-ins allows you to just pop by for some plates and a glass or two. You’ll find lots of veggies from their partner farm in Cheshire, hand rolled pasta and meat and fish cooked over coal.